Keeping It Simple

Lewis and Clark and Me- A Dog's Tale by Laurie Myers  We all enjoyed this story of Lewis and Clark told by the dog's (Seaman) point of view. At the end of each chapter is an excerpt from Lewis's journal that matches the story just read. We read this as a part of our dog study, but it would make a great history read! Saving Audie- A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent On a recent road trip one of my sons started telling his dad, in great detail, about "these pit bull puppies that were rescued". His brothers quickly joined in and the whole story was retold to dad as we were driving along. While this true story about the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's dog-fighting ring could be a grim tale, it is handled in a way that is appropriate for young readers (or listeners). My boys, always rooting for the underdog, really enjoyed this book as was obvious in their enthusiastic retelling of the story. Leo The Snow Leopard- The True St...

We came home from the HSSV with instructions for making blankets and toys for the "kitty condos". The kids were all on board for doing this as a thank you to the wonderful people who showed us such a good time at our field trip . Knowing that they are helping some of the animals at the shelter was a nice feeling too.  As per instructions, Mark starts cutting the first blanket.  Making the fringe to knot.  Boys can't braid! I never thought of it before, but they never have a reason to. They can now and they did an awesome job! Good work CK.  This girl has some mad skills when it comes to braiding. These are for kitty toys also as per instructions from HSSV.  Kyle and James worked together to cut and knot this blanket.  Julia and McKayla did an awesome job on this two sided blanket. It is simple, but it takes a lot of patience to tie all those knots.  Speaking of mad skills- Paul cut strip after strip of material for the cat toys.  Completed...

After reading the particulars about the  NOBH theme (homeless animals) the month of August, I thought it would be fun to hear from Paul, who adopted his dog from a shelter, about his experience. Tell me a little bit about your dog, Jack. Jack is a total and complete crazy, funny, kinda lunatic dog. He is fun. Jack came from a testing place and he basically lived in a cage. That is all they told us about him before he came to live with us. When he first got here he did not know what grass was and did not get the whole step thing. He would fall off steps or run straight in to the porch steps. When he wanted to go to the far side of the yard, he would walk across the border around the grass so he did not have to touch it. He basically didn't know how to be a dog. I think he was treated very nicely where he was, but I don't think he was treated like a dog should be treated. I don't think they walked him or anything. Why did you want to adopt a dog? I...

I am so excited to share about this field trip! A perfect addition to our dog unit study - and it was lots and lots of fun!  First, the kids got to help socialize and exercise two "foster" puppies. The foster mom works at the humane society, so she brings them to work with her each day. My group was more than happy to help out.  These little guys (Rottweiler/Pit Bull mix) were absolutely adorable.  Then we were given a tour of the facility. These are the kitty "condos". So super cute! Lots of room and very clean. Pretty fancy!  All the kids would have walked out of there with a half dozen animals if they were allowed.  This is the kitty playroom. If you look closely at the sun on the wall, you will see a sleeping kitty.  My awesome group of field trip kiddos. I love this picture. The HSSV has been in operation for 82 years. It began when our valley was primarily an agricultural area and there were lots of horses. The first animal taken i...

I am thinking that I should rename my blog having something to with animal books... Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog by Becky Hall Learning about working dogs in our " Dog Unit Study " led us to this book. It is not only a wonderful story about Morris and his seeing eye dog, it is also about the challenges faced by Morris at a time when few accommodations were made for those with physical limitations (blindness or other). How Morris traveled to Switzerland to meet his own guide dog, Buddy, and ultimately paved the rode for the "Seeing Eye" guide dog school was an inspiring read. You can also read more about Morris here . Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, & a Miracle  by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery My boys loved this story of an unlikely friendship between a Marine and a "dog of war". This book follows the story of "Nubs" (so named by the Major Brian Dennis because of his cut off e...

We began our dog unit study today. I just posted a really cute, fun little movie that might lead you to believe that it was all sugar and spice and everything nice around here today. Oh, that's right- I have boys! What was I thinking? ;) Plan A (the one that did not go smoothly): 1- We walk out to the school room to find an unexpected mess (another story all together). 2- The dog notebook pages that I thought I had bookmarked on my computer weren't there. 3- Found some notebook pages at a good price. It took ten minutes to find a credit card to pay for them, and then the download would not work. 4- Four vocabulary words were just too much for my 10yo to write (picture big crocodile tears). 5- 8yo had a major case of the sillies. 6- Every time I turned around, the item I needed at that moment went missing. Sigh!! Big sis walks in and offers to take the boys to the pool this afternoon- my first thought: No! They are going to stay and get this done. My s...